Flashing Reds

by Fiona Bayrock

It's easy for a leaf to turn yellow in the fall. Orange, too. It's not a complicated process. No flurry of yellow or orange pigment production required. No mystery.

Xanthophylls (yellow pigments) and carotenes (orange pigments) are already hidden in the leaf, just masked by the green chlorophyll that leaves use to make food during photosynthesis. When deciduous trees stop producing food in preparation for winter, the chlorophyll becomes unnecessary, breaks down, and disappears, revealing yellow and orange pigments that were there all along. Turning yellow is as simple as removing the green.

Turning red, however, is a more complicated process, involving increased anthocyanin (red pigment) production in the fall. Mention red autumn leaves to a botanist, and the questions come fast and furious. What does red pigment do? Why does a tree bother to spend energy making anthocyanins when time is short to salvage nutrients from leaves before they fall off? Why do some leaves on the same tree turn red while others don't?

Several groups of scientists have begun to unravel the anthocyanin mystery. Recent research indicates that it's all about protection.

“Light that is too bright can inhibit photosynthesis any time of the year,” says horticulturalist William Hoch of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Photoinhibition—when light-gathering chlorophyll slows down due to an overload of light—is a greater risk in the fall, because the chlorophyll is breaking down while the tree is trying to reabsorb nitrogen from leaves before they drop.

Hoch and his colleagues think that the anthocyanins act like sunscreen during this unstable time. “The [anthocyanin] pigments shade photosynthetic tissue,” he says, to prevent photoinhibition and maintain the energy production essential to the reabsorption process.

But the role of anthocyanins doesn't end there. Recent and ongoing studies are looking at how anthocyanins protect plants from the following:

Free radicals (substances that can damage DNA, proteins, and membranes)—Anthocyanins are great antioxidants, sopping up free radicals four times as well as Vitamins C and E.

Water-related stresses (e.g., drought, salt buildup)—Unlike other pigments, anthocyanins dissolve in water, which may mean that they contribute to regulating water movement by slowing its tendency to flow away.

Activity

What are the scientists mentioned in this article studying?Answer: They are studying why leaves turn red in the fall.

What is the name of the substance they are studying?Answer: anthocyanin

What are some of the things that they have discovered about this substance?Answer: Answers will vary but could include the following: anthocyanins may act like a sunscreen for leaves as they lose their chlorophyll; anthocyanins have the ability to absorb free radicals; it is possible that anthocyanin regulates water movement and may prevent frost or overheating; the possibility that anthocyanin discourages fungus growth.

Why do you think it is important to learn more about the function of different substances in plants?Answer: Answers will vary but could mention that by studying different substances in plants, scientists discover that substances can be used for other things, such as medicines.

Activity

What are the scientists mentioned in this article studying?Answer: They are studying why leaves turn red in the fall.

What is the name of the substance they are studying?Answer: anthocyanin

What are some of the things that they have discovered about this substance?Answer: Answers will vary but could include the following: anthocyanins may act like a sunscreen for leaves as they lose their chlorophyll; anthocyanins have the ability to absorb free radicals; it is possible that anthocyanin regulates water movement and may prevent frost or overheating; the possibility that anthocyanin discourages fungus growth.

Why do you think it is important to learn more about the function of different substances in plants?Answer: Answers will vary but could mention that by studying different substances in plants, scientists discover that substances can be used for other things, such as medicines.